Motherwhelmed: Challenging Norms, Untangling Truths, and Restoring Our Worth to the World


Book Description

Today's mothers are struggling; though, it's not for the reasons most moms tend to think. We've been conditioned to believe our inadequacy is the reason we can't seem to "keep up" or enjoy mothering more, but nothing could be further from the truth. We aren't failing as mothers. We're mothering within a culture that is misleading and inadequately supporting us. Motherwhelmed is a deep, yet lighthearted exploration of the messy frontier of modern-day motherhood we're all struggling to navigate. With compassion, realness, and rich storytelling, Beth Berry: -Illuminates the mindsets and narratives keeping us feeling overwhelmed, disempowered, anxious, isolated, and riddled with self-doubt -Provides the perspectives and tools needed for mothers to rewrite their stories and reclaim a sense of wholeness -Shares from her 25 years as an idealistic, passionate, all-in mother of four daughters -Reminds us of our worthiness and reframes our importance This is not a book about parenting. It's a book about mothers, our greatness, and how important it is that we thrive. It's about untangling ourselves from the stories keeping us trapped and deconstructing those we've outgrown. It's about daring the lives we're here to live and, thereby, giving our children permission to do the same. Until we begin to organize our lives around not only our children's worthiness but also our own, mothers everywhere will continue to bear the brunt of cultural pain and dysfunction. This matters because we cannot be the changemakers we're meant to be while so heavily burdened.




'Til Stress Do Us Part


Book Description

What if the problem isn’t your partner—it’s stress? This relatable and empowering guide offers indispensable tools to stress-proof your relationship. “Full of clear strategies for overcoming the overwhelm. A must-read!”—Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play Every week, couples come into Elizabeth Earnshaw’s therapy room claiming their relationship issues are stressing them out. “The reality is just the opposite,” she says. “The unprecedented collective stress we all face today is the cause of many relationship challenges couples are experiencing.” With ’Til Stress Do Us Part, this trusted expert shares the tools you need to protect yourself and your relationship from distress—and restore harmony, understanding, and love. Beginning with an overview of many kinds of stress we face—from acute to chronic stress and even positive stress—Earnshaw uses client stories and personal experiences to reveal the visible and invisible strains on ourselves and our relationships. With warmth and humor, she shares research-backed practices to help you detect signs of overwhelm and take proactive measures to protect, refresh, and heal yourselves. You’ll discover journaling prompts, body-based exercises, scripts, boundary-setting guidelines, and more for letting go of pressures and restoring intimacy. Over the course of the book, you’ll learn how to: • Set effective boundaries • Self-soothe and self-regulate when life gets rough • Take responsibility for what makes you happy • Communicate with compassion rather than resentment • Identify and cope with what’s in your control... and what’s not • Reduce conflict and find more connection in your relationship “When we become partners, we commit to taking on life’s troubles together,” says Earnshaw. Here is an essential resource for helping you return your relationship to what it should be—a refuge from stress in a turbulent and demanding world in which we always have each other’s backs.




Hello, Goodbye


Book Description

Embrace the power of ritual with simple yet “powerful” (Kim Chestney, author of Radical Intuition and founder of IntuitionLab) practices that slow us down to honor and mark the real moments in our lives—from the loss of a parent to the birth of a child, from grieving a pet to celebrating coming out of the closet. Life has many transitions: A baby is born. A child leaves for college. A marriage. A divorce. A death. We all experience moments of profound change, but what do we do to mark those moments? How do we become mindful of these events and imbue them with purpose and meaning? Could our lives be better, richer, and more resilient if we had more practical resources and rituals to honor, sanctify, and make sense of these transitions? Day Schildkret, artist and author behind the international Morning Altars movement, believes that what we need is ritual. Rituals are the rhythms and traditions that give us a sense of stability in the face of uncertainty by reminding us that there’s always something we can do, say or make that conjures awe, contentment, and gratitude. They give us a way to acknowledge through our actions that, as life changes, we too must change. Offering ways to make these moments special and sacred, Hello, Goodbye teaches you to not fear uncertainty, but instead participate fully and creatively in life’s inevitable changes, including: -Birth of a child -Moving and new homes -Divorce -Empty nesting -Retirement -Death anniversary -Health crises Containing over 75 hands-on ritual instructions, informed by hundreds of interviews, and filled with beautiful illustrations, inspirational story-telling, potent questions, and experienced wisdom, Hello, Goodbye is “certain to become a forever reference and treasured, faithful companion” (Kimbery Ann Johnson, author of Call of the Wild and The Fourth Trimester) for life’s many milestones, perfect for those looking to find meaning in change and embrace the transformative thresholds of our lives. Hello, Goodbye is a “direct and moving” (Rabbi Jill Jammer, PhD, author of The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All Seasons) guide we all need to navigate life’s uncertainties with grace, meaning, and intention, perfect for fans of Krista Tippet, Priya Parker, and Elena Brower.




Maxed Out


Book Description

Winner of a Foreword IndieFab Book of the Year Award Katrina Alcorn was a 37-year-old mother with a happy marriage and a thriving career when one day, on the way to Target to buy diapers, she had a breakdown. Her carefully built career shuddered to a halt, and her journey through depression, anxiety, and insomnia—followed by medication, meditation, and therapy—began. Alcorn wondered how a woman like herself, with a loving husband, a supportive boss, three healthy kids, and a good income, was unable to manage the demands of having a career and a family. Over time, she realized that she wasn’t alone; many women were struggling to do it all—and feeling as if they were somehow failing as a result. Mothers are the breadwinners in two-thirds of American families, yet the American workplace is uniquely hostile to the needs of parents. Weaving in surprising research about the dysfunction between the careers and home lives of working mothers, as well as the consequences to women’s health, Alcorn tells a deeply personal story about “having it all,” failing miserably, and what comes after. Ultimately, she offers readers a vision for a healthier, happier, and more productive way to live and work.




Mama Rising


Book Description

Are you struggling to figure out who you are now that you're a mama? Do you feel like you're coming last in your own life? Do you feel guilty for not loving every moment of this motherhood gig? As someone who used to put themselves last-doing everything she thought was 'right' for her children and family, but not really listening to what her body and her spirit was begging for-Amy understands first-hand the overwhelm and complex range of emotions that mothers face. Amy's background as a journalist set her on the path to uncover all that she could about the latest research on matrescence, the transition a woman undergoes when she becomes a mother. She now shares what she's learned in the hope that it will help you navigate this stage of your life. Happy Mama includes interviews with experts, case studies and Amy's own tried-and-tested advice on how to reconnect with the woman you are underneath all that washing, cleaning and caring. Full of useful and empowering insights that will help you change the way you feel about motherhood-and yourself-so you and your whole family can flourish.




You Are a F*cking Awesome Mom


Book Description

A much-needed voice of encouragement for every woman who had a baby and lost her mind Sometimes, motherhood feels never-ending. A child is born, chaos ensues, and it seems like life will never return to normal. In You Are a F*cking Awesome Mom, award-winning journalist and Instagram star Leslie Anne Bruce acknowledges that, yes, motherhood is a total mind f*ck—but then she offers the self-empowerment lessons new mothers need to get through the psychic upheaval and emerge stronger than ever. After childbirth, a woman's body, her relationships, and her very sense of self are tested like never before. Bruce encourages readers to look past the sugarcoated truisms about the miracles of child-rearing in order to embrace the real joys of motherhood, spit-up stains and all. Loaded with unfettered support from a mom who has been through it all, You Are a F*cking Awesome Mom offers a lifeline of encouragement, inspiration, and community for the new mama who got a baby, lost her mind, and desperately wants to find herself again.




Slay Like a Mother


Book Description

The revelatory, inspirational mom book needed for every mom to crush that "never enough" mentality and slay every day! Katherine Wintsch knows firsthand the self-doubt that rages inside modern moms. As founder and CEO of The Mom Complex, she has studied the passions and pain points of moms worldwide to help some of the largest brands develop innovative new products and services. As a working mom of two, she was running in an exhausting cycle of "never enough"—not strong enough, not thin enough, not patient enough, not "mom" enough. In Slay Like a Mother, you'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll discover eye-opening lessons about: THE MASK YOU'RE WEARING. The one you hide behind when you say everything is "just fine" when it's not. YOUR UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS. The goal-setting tactics you're deploying to get ahead could be what's holding you back. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRUGGLING AND SUFFERING. Being a mother is a struggle — it always has been — but your suffering is optional. Brave, supportive, and insightful, the stories and advice in this book will encourage you to live more confidently, enjoy the present, and become your best self — as a woman, a mother, and beyond. This is the necessary self-esteem and self-care book for new moms, mom experts, and any mom in between. Perfect for fans of Girl Wash Your Face and #IMomSoHard! "Slay Like a Mother is a feisty, clever, and fun blueprint for modern motherhood that belongs on every book shelf and in every diaper bag...As a woman and mother, you'll gain a newfound power, happiness, and ability to leap tall Lego buildings in a single bound."—Erin Falconer, author of How To Get Sh*t Done: Why Women Need to Stop Doing Everything So They Can Achieve Anything ***As featured in The Wall Street Journal and Parade.com***




Hey, Hun


Book Description

She signed up for the sisterhood, free cars, and the promise of a successful business of her own. Instead, she ended up with an addiction, broken friendships, and the rubble of a toppled pyramid . . . scheme. HEY, HUN: SALES SISTERHOOD, SUPREMACY, AND THE OTHER LIES BEHIND MULTILEVEL MARKETING is the eye-opening, funny, and dangerous personal story of author Emily Lynn Paulson rising to the top of the pyramid in the multilevel marketing (MLM) world, only to recognize that its culture and business practices went beyond a trendy marketing scheme and into the heart of white supremacy in America. A significant polemic on how MLMs operate, HEY, HUN expertly lays out their role in the cultural epidemic of isolation and the cult-like ideologies that course through their trainings, marketing, and one-on-one interactions. Equally entertaining and smart, Paulson’s first-person accounts, acerbic wit, and biting commentary will leave you with a new perspective on those “Hey Hun” messages flooding your inbox. “This book is a must-read for all women, especially those struggling with the deep ache to belong, be successful, or feel their self-worth. HEY, HUN is at once a cautionary tale, an educational service, and a vulnerable memoir. It’s essential reading for anyone considering joining, trying to escape, or healing from the toxic, culty structure that is MLM.” — Sarah Edmondson, actress, host of A Little Bit Culty podcast, author of Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life “Emily’s experience is so raw, honest, and relatable that HEY, HUN should be required reading for anyone involved with MLM—past, present, or future.” — Roberta Blevins, anti-MLM adovcate, host of the Life After MLM podcast, and star of the LulaRich documentary




Hands Free Mama


Book Description

Discover the power, joy, and love of living a present, authentic, and intentional life despite a world full of distractions. If technology is the new addiction, then multitasking is the new marching order. We check our email while cooking dinner, send a text while bathing the kids, and spend more time looking into electronic screens than into the eyes of our loved ones. With our never-ending to-do lists and jam-packed schedules, it's no wonder we're distracted. But this isn't the way it has to be. Special education teacher, New York Times bestselling author, and mother Rachel Macy Stafford says enough is enough. Tired of losing track of what matters most in life, Rachel began practicing simple strategies that enabled her to momentarily let go of largely meaningless distractions and engage in meaningful soul-to-soul connections. Finding balance doesn't mean giving up all technology forever. And it doesn't mean forgoing our jobs and responsibilities. What it does mean is seizing the little moments that life offers us to engage in real and meaningful interaction. In these pages, Rachel guides you through how to: Acknowledge the cost of your distraction Make purposeful connection with your family Give your kids the gift of your undivided attention Silence your inner critic Let go of the guilt from past mistakes And move forward with compassion and gratefulness So join Rachel and go hands-free. Discover what happens when you choose to open your heart--and your hands--to the possibilities of each God-given moment.




More Than A Mom


Book Description

The daunting and not-for-faint-of-heart journey of motherhood is best survived with the humor and wit of Ashley Carbonatto's story telling and no-nonsense guide to the world's hardest job. From heart-felt to hilarious, Ashley's own path of motherhood has been a faith-journey through unexpected ups and downs of learning to re-discover her identity that motherhood tried to strip away. With tales of daily loneliness, anxiety and postpartum along with lessons of growth, self-discovery, and friendship, this book is the guide from a sister in the trenches that will meet the everyday mom right where she's at. Whether you're a first-time mom trying to find up from down and make sense of your newly-acquired job title, or the experienced veteran crawling to the finish line of bedtime with wheels missing and your wagon on fire, More Than A Mom will be your encouragement, source of humor, and honest companion. With a lack of short cuts and five-star resorts on this path, this is the guide for the everyday mom to find freedom in the woman she was created to be as she looks to find purpose in the mundane & monotonous tasks that come along with motherhood.Ashley Carbonatto is a domestically underachieving mom-of-three who juggles all the things. She's a gatherer of people, a welcomer to the outsider, a storyteller to the tired, and an entertainer to the downcast. After leaving a successful career, she re-discovered her voice and renewed purpose in motherhood, but in her own unconventional way. You need homemade frosting? She's not the one you call. But you need a good story and honest reflection? Ashley's your woman. She lives in Issaquah, Washington with her husband & three minions, and always has a drink in the fridge for anyone who stops by.